The invention relates to a melting and casting furnace for the production of directionally solidified or monocrystalline structures, having a heating apparatus provided in a housing and a cooling ring disposed beneath it, as well as a cooling table for holding a mold, a shield being provided in the area of a first heating zone between the mold and the cooling ring and separating the heating zone from the cooling zone.
A vacuum, induction, melting and casting furnace for the production of directionally solidified or monocrystalline structures is already known (Leybold brochure, "Vakuum-Prazisions-GieBtechnik" ref. No. 32-100.01) which is equipped with a heating and cooling system. The heating and cooling system consists of a two-zone heater with which a controlled input of energy to the material to be melted can be performed. For the production of directionally solidified or monocrystalline structures it is necessary to achieve a steep temperature gradient in an axial flow of heat perpendicular to the liquid-solid boundary surface of the casting. For this purpose the mold is placed on a cooling plate and heated prior to pouring the metal to temperatures above the melting point of the alloy to be cast. An off-bearing device operating with great precision draws the mold filled with the melt out of the heating system at a programmed rate of speed.